Physical:

- Stomach or belly hollowness "butterflies", hunger, nausea, loss of appetite and other gastrointestinal disturbances

- Weight loss or gain

- Heart palpitations, trembling, or shaking; chest tightness and breathlessness (If these sensations become severe or are ongoing, contact Zion’s Way Hospice immediately.)

- Throat pain or tightness, feeling something is stuck in your throat

- Dry mouth, increased perspiration

- Shakiness, dizziness, or unsteady feelings

- Headache

- Decreased energy, initiative, and motivation

- Overall weakness, physical exhaustion, lethargy, or lack of strength

- A feeling of emptiness or heaviness

- Overly sensitive to noise

- Nervousness, tension, agitation, irritability or other indications of anxiety

- Sense of depersonalization: "Nothing seems real"

- Same physical symptoms as deceased illness

- Loss of pleasure

- Decreased sexual desire or hyper sexuality

Behaviors:

- Sleep disturbances or difficulty (too much or too little, interrupted sleep)

- Appetite disturbances

- Tearfulness, crying. and sighing

- Absent-minded behavior

- Searching behavior, expecting the deceased to be there

- Social withdrawal

- Marked increase or decrease in activity

- Restlessness and searching for something to do

- Increase in illness or accidents

- Change in work performance, tardy, leaving work early, working late, not meeting deadlines, shutting office door or eating alone

- Yelling or outbursts

- Increased alcohol/drug/nicotine intake

- Sloppy dressing, poor personal hygiene

- Activity regarding the deceased, searching and calling out, visiting places or treasuring objects that remind the survivor of the deceased, talking to the deceased's picture or ashes

Thoughts:

- Disbelief: “Oh, no. It’s not happening to me.”

- Confusion, forgetfulness

- Preoccupation or obsessive thinking about the deceased

- Finality: “Things will never be the same.” or “I can’t go back.”

- Anger: “It’s not fair.” or “Why did it happen?” or “If only...” or “I wish...”

- Forging ahead: “I have to make some decisions.” or “I have to get through it.”

- Paranormal experience: sense of presence, visual, tactile, olfactory, dreams

- Dread: fear of own or another’s death

- Suicidal: “Life has no meaning.” (If you are having these thoughts or feelings, please seek out professional help.)